The title page, introduction and a brief explanation precede the written text, as do the testimony of the three and eight witnesses to the golden plates from which Smith said he translated the ancient record. Smith's own testimony regarding the book's origin also precedes the text, as does a contents page listing page numbers for its various divisions.

Though terms of the publishing contract and its associated royalties are confidential, Dew said the biggest challenge was the fact that the church, to Doubleday, "was an anomaly. They're used to dealing with authors who have profit as their primary motive, and the church's motive is so different. Just bridging that gap and getting work together was interesting process."

The collaboration to produce it took 18 months, she said, adding "it was really gratifying to me to watch the level of dignity and respect they brought to the project." When first approached about the possibility, Dew said she "told them all the reasons it would never work just to see how serious they were."

She told them the church would have to have complete control over the finished product, a point that was not negotiable, and that they would have to agree to other stipulations. "When it came right down to it, they agreed to all of them."

Dew said there may be "nothing more significant in the world of LDS publishing" since 1830, when E.B. Grandin used a hand press to print the first 5,000 copies of The Book of Mormon. "While it has enjoyed phenomenal worldwide distribution, there has been this major channel of distribution that's been entirely untapped.

"If you're not a member but are curious about it, where do you buy one without risking having the missionaries come? . . . Now anyone, anywhere can go into a commercial bookstore and find The Book of Mormon right next to the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran, you name it. The Lord doesn't need Doubleday's endorsement, but there are some for whom that imprint on the spine says . . . this is a legitimate book of scripture."

Rapkin said the rising profile of the LDS Church, combined with an explosion in religious book titles in recent years, spurred the publisher to seek publishing rights. Yet she concedes that, had the project been suggested a decade ago, it wouldn't have happened.

"I just don't think there was this kind of awareness 10 years ago of lots of faiths and denominations. This is the fastest-growing denomination in this country — who would guess it? I never would have guessed that until we started discussing this. Frankly, it only makes sense as far as I can tell to publish it. I can't figure out what the downside is. "